A Genius Speaks with Money

Chapter 17

It was a week after the board of directors meeting at Taeseong Construction.

The International Business Department of Taeseong Construction was strangely quiet that morning.

It felt as if the sky was holding its breath in silence just before a storm broke out.

Because the atmosphere of the company was also turbulent, everyone knew but did not open their mouths.

Manager Jeong Seong-pil sat looking at the progress report displayed on his monitor.

However, the graphs on the screen did not enter his eyes.

Thinking about the ominous atmosphere coming from Iraq over the past few days, there was no way he could focus on his work.

On top of that, as if the media had noticed, rumors of a re-examination of the Iraq project being pushed by Taeseong Construction were pressuring his heart as if pecking at it.

It was not just Manager Jeong Seong-pil.

The employees with him were all silent as well.He could see them pressing their keyboards quietly without making eye contact with each other.

A sound that broke the silence.

Bzzzz.

It was the vibration sound ringing from the cell phone placed on Manager Jeong Seong-pil'

s desk.

[General Manager Han Ki-seok]

The moment Jeong Seong-pil checked the name on the cell phone, he felt as if his heart had suddenly dropped.

His fingertips tingled, and the anxiety he had suppressed until now became a reality before his eyes, suffocating him.

He quietly inhaled.

Then he carefully pressed the call button.

“General Manager Han Ki-seok, what is going on?”

A familiar voice reached his ears over the cell phone.

-Jeong, it is over. They sent an official notification.

“...What?!”

At the voice shouting in surprise, the entire office came to a still silence.

-They contacted us saying the refinery project is completely halted.

“…….”

Jeong Seong-pil, the working-level manager in charge of the Karbala Project, felt as if his heart had dropped.

He managed to spit out words only after a moment of silence passed.

“What about the construction costs?”

-They said they cannot pay the construction costs either, and instead, they are telling us to bear the demolition costs. They are telling us to destroy everything we have built up so far and even clean it up....

“What kind of bullshit is that!”

He was in such an agitated state that someone who knew Manager Jeong Seong-pil'

s personality would be startled.

General Manager Han Ki-seok, who was out in the Iraqi field, was equally angry.

-I am going crazy and jumping out of my skin too. I do not know what to do about this. For now, I have to report it. It is driving me insane.

“This is not even a matter of saying '

sue me'

, it is at the level of a highway robber. Why are they suddenly doing this? It would be better for them to delay it rather than halt it.”

General Manager Han Ki-seok also spoke out in frustration, as if he was stifled.

-How would I know? I do not know what kind of bolt from the blue this is either.

“I understand for now. I will submit a report and contact you again.”

The call ended like that.

With a stifled heart, Jeong Seong-pil went up to the rooftop first and called Jo Tae-ho, the manager of the Finance Management Team.

He was a colleague who joined the company at the same time as Manager Jeong.

Jo Tae-ho did not have a good feeling as he went up to the rooftop.

This was a place where employees would gather in groups of three or five during lunch hours to drink a cup of coffee and smoke a cigarette.

But today was different.

It was surprisingly quiet.

In a space that would usually be filled with laughter and chatter, only the sound of the wind occasionally filled the space now.

Jo Tae-ho saw Jeong Seong-pil sitting at the end of a bench, just smoking cigarettes.

Jo Tae-ho frowned for a moment.

Jeong Seong-pil was a person who had quit smoking altogether for several years using his health as an excuse.

He did not smoke at company dinners, or even when he was stressed during meetings.

Such a man was now smoking with a deep frown on his face.

And alone on the empty rooftop, no less.

Jo Tae-ho felt it instinctively.

That this was no ordinary matter.

He moved his steps quietly and stopped in front of the bench.

Then he spoke in a low voice.

“...Manager Jeong?”

“You came?”

“What is going on? You said you were quitting smoking and would never do it again.”

Despite Jo Tae-ho'

s words, Jeong Seong-pil only puffed out smoke without any answer.

His expression seen through that smoke looked as if he was suppressing something deep inside.

Jo Tae-ho let out a long sigh and sat down next to Jeong Seong-pil.

Then Jeong Seong-pil handed a cigarette to Jo Tae-ho.

He also puffed out smoke and asked lightly.

“Has it been over four years since you quit smoking?”

Without any reply, Jeong Seong-pil took out a new cigarette, lit it, and took another deep drag.

The smoke went deep into his lungs and was slowly puffed out only after a long time had passed.

A meaning heavier than words was carried in that smoke mixed with a sigh.

Jo Tae-ho was silent for a moment, then narrowed his brow again as his head began to ache.

“What is it? You have to tell me so I can understand. If you are going to keep your mouth shut, why did you call me out? I am busy too.”

Jeong Seong-pil rubbed out the cigarette on the ground without a word.

Jo Tae-ho turned his head to the side and put out the cigarette he was smoking.

“So that is why I am asking....”

Before Jeong Seong-pil could speak first, Jo Tae-ho beat him to it.

“Why? Are you going to say that something is strange on President Lim Do-hyun'

s side?”

“…….”

Jo Tae-ho smiled cautiously and added.

“I had a feeling the moment you called me out. You called me out to ask about this, didn'

t you? You always do this, you punk. You never change.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“If a guy who was making a fuss about quitting smoking is acting like this, only an idiot wouldn'

t know.”

The wind blew and the grass bent to one side.

Jeong Seong-pil asked in a heavy voice.

“I just got a call from General Manager Han Ki-seok. Construction is completely halted and they say they cannot pay the construction costs. On top of that, they are telling us to demolish everything constructed so far and pay for those costs ourselves.”

Jeong Seong-pil exhaled lowly and continued his words.

“I feel like this is not just a contract termination, but as if someone is intentionally twisting things from behind.”

“...They are being that unreasonable?”

Jo Tae-ho'

s voice was a tone lower than usual.

“Not only halting the construction but not paying the costs, and instead telling us to pay for the demolition.... These guys are thugs who do not even follow the basics.”

Jo Tae-ho narrowed his eyes.

“And the higher-ups in the company are quiet even after being subjected to such demands?”

Jeong Seong-pil nodded quietly.

“...That is why I am anxious.”

Jo Tae-ho pressed his lips together.

Thoughts followed one after another.

“There is definitely something going on here.”

He stood up like an anxious person and paced back and forth.

Then he stopped and looked at Jeong Seong-pil.

“Do you remember the executive meeting a few days ago?”

Jeong Seong-pil raised his head.

“Why?”

“That day, when President Lim said that the Iraqi matter should be approached cautiously or whatever, do you remember Vice President Yoon Jae-hyuk'

s expression?”

Jeong Seong-pil narrowed his eyes.

Jo Tae-ho continued speaking in a low voice.

“That person nodded his head on the outside, but his eyes were not.”

“...His eyes?”

“You know how many years I have served by Vice President Yoon'

s side, right?”

Jeong Seong-pil nodded.

Jo Tae-ho smirked and said.

“Vice President Yoon Jae-hyuk has almost no change in expression during meetings. But there is a moment when he reacts very minutely, really minutely.”

Jeong Seong-pil looked at Jo Tae-ho quietly.

Then Jo Tae-ho raised a finger and pointed to his own nose.

“He sniffs and scrunches the tip of his nose.”

“His nose?”

“Yeah. When he is annoyed. When something is not to his liking. Or when there is something he feels is strange. That habit always comes out then.”

Jeong Seong-pil narrowed his eyes as if interested and asked.

“Are you saying it was like that at the meeting that day too?”

“The moment President Lim said '

The Iraqi side should be approached cautiously'

, Vice President Yoon scrunched his nose right then.”

“…….”

“It was instantaneous, so no one would have noticed. But I saw it.”

Jeong Seong-pil exhaled quietly and said.

“If that is the case, it means the Vice President is also suspicious of something.”

“It is not a certainty, but there might definitely be something we do not know about.”

“You are going to report to the Vice President right away, right?”

“Ahem. What are you asking for? Of course.”

“Do as you like. I am going to report to the President right away.”

Jeong Seong-pil stood up.

Then he headed for the President'

s office without hesitation.

His steps, which were heavy when he went up to the rooftop, had no hesitation at all.

The door to the President'

s office opened and Jeong Seong-pil stepped inside.

A wide and quiet space.

President Lim Do-hyun was sitting in his seat, handling business.

“Manager Jeong, what is it?”

Jeong Seong-pil approached quietly and set the documents down on the table.

“A short while ago, an official contact came from General Manager Han Ki-seok, who is out in the Iraqi field.”

The moment Lim Do-hyun heard those words, he scrunched his eyebrows slightly and flipped through the documents.

“And?”

“The Karbala refinery project. The Iraqi side has notified us of a complete halt. They said payment of construction costs is also impossible. On top of that, there is a demand for us to demolish all facilities constructed so far and bear those costs ourselves.”

Lim Do-hyun flipped through the documents he was looking at and held back his words for a moment.

After that, he spoke like a calm person.

“...They are more resolute than expected.”

Lim Do-hyun closed the documents slowly.

His fingertip tapped lightly on the desk.

It was as if he had expected it to some extent.

“Is there no room for negotiation?”

“General Manager Han Ki-seok on-site said he would submit a separate report on the exact situation.”

“Is that so? For now, there is no need to react too sensitively. Make sure the media does not interpret it excessively for no reason and you may leave for now.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Jeong Seong-pil bowed his waist and thought.

Even though things had gone this wrong, President Lim Do-hyun did not show any signs of agitation at all.

‘...There is something going on.’

***

The reports pouring out day after day were piercing toward Taeseong Construction like sharp arrows.

The news that the Iraq Karbala refinery project was completely halted due to unilateral notification from the local side decorated the main headlines of domestic and foreign media.

Due to that, investors'

anxiety was reflected directly in the stock price.

The stock price of Taeseong Construction showed a continuous downward trend and plummeted toward the bottom.

Some in the brokerage world analyzed that signs of a panic sell were even being detected.

The market reacted quickly, and the atmosphere within the group became increasingly heavy.

As if it had been waiting, a post was uploaded on the message board anonymously.

A controversy over the responsibility arose as to whether it was a mistake originating from the judgment of the field working-level staff or a contract that was pushed unreasonably from above.

In particular, the issue of the future of the executives who were deeply involved in this project also began to be discussed in earnest.

In some quarters, voices were even calling for a special audit through the board of directors and an internal investigation.

Due to Taeseong Construction, the giant mountain named Taeseong was being shaken.

Around that time, I, Lim Hyunjun, boarded a plane to the UK before the vacation ended.

When I, who had said I had no time for travel just a few days ago, said I wanted to go to the UK, my parents immediately sent me to the UK just as I wanted.

Of course, I did not board the plane to the UK alone.

My dependable partner and right-hand man, Choi Seo-jun, was with me.

Choi Seo-jun, who followed along at the sudden word to go to the UK, felt that there was something in my eyes that was different from usual.

“Are you sure you just want to travel?”

“Ahahaha. I wanted to visit overseas once before the vacation ends.”

Having finished the flight check-in, the two of us were sitting in the airport lounge drinking coffee.

Although I could not tell Choi Seo-jun, I was going there because there was a person I had to meet right now.

I was going with a purpose, but I felt good just from the fact that I was going overseas by plane.

After getting off the plane, the two of us took a taxi toward our accommodation.

Looking at the scenery of the streets of London passing outside the window, I felt very excited.

In my past life, I lived without even being able to dream of a trip like this.

But now that I could go anywhere if I just set my mind to it, I was at a point where I was grateful every day for what a happy life it was.

While I was excited with such thoughts, Choi Seo-jun could not overcome his curiosity and asked.

“Representative?”

“Yes?”

“...Isn'

t it about time you told me? The reason you asked to come to the UK.”